Choosing new flooring can be overwhelming

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Changing your flooring can have a dramatic impact on the look and feel of your home. If you are thinking of selling your home, new flooring can also be an attractive feature for potential home buyers.

A realtor can help you decide if new flooring would be a wise choice before you put your house up for sale. He or she is knowledgeable about what types of flooring are in demand by home buyers and can help you stay within a reasonable budget. The following tips on choosing new flooring are courtesy of The Windsor-Essex County Real Estate Board and your local realtor.

There are many flooring options available. Your choice will depend on what type of style you want to create for your home.

For example, if you are looking for a warm country feel or an elegant urban setting, think about hardwood and laminate flooring. Vinyl and ceramic tiles give you an endless number of colours, styles and designs to achieve exactly the decor you want.

- Hardwood: This is one of the most sought-after features in homes these days. Hardwood not only adds style and elegance to a room, but it also matches any decor, is easier than ever to care for and provides great value since it lasts a lifetime. This type of flooring can even improve the living quality of homes because hardwood does not trap dust, pollen or other allergens.

A popular choice is no-wax pre-finished hardwood because it eliminates messy on-site sanding or unpleasant chemicals.

- Laminate: This is another popular and durable flooring option. It is constructed of a dense fibreboard core with top and bottom fibre pattern layers sealed under high pressure with a durable, plastic-like substance. Laminate is one of the easiest floors to install because it can be laid over any flat surface, including ceramics, vinyl and short pile carpeting. One of the reasons for this product's popularity is that it is made to look exactly like hardwood, stone, tile and various other designs while providing the strength of laminate. The laminate flooring surface is strong enough to resist staining, fading, scuffing and scratching.

- Carpeting: This is one of the best ways to add coziness and comfort to a home. The broad range of colours and styles allows people to add their own personality to their living spaces, while the right shades can either open up a small room or create a warm intimate atmosphere in a spacious setting. There are also practical advantages that only carpet can offer: it helps prevent slips and falls; it helps to absorb noise; and its insulating properties can reduce the cost of heating and air-conditioning.

- Area rugs: These are a simple and effective way to add colour and style to a home. They are also an economical alternative to broadloom, providing the comfort and practicality of carpet while retaining the classic styling of flooring. There are two ways in which area rugs are manufactured: either by hand or by machine. Handmade rugs obviously cost more because of the length of time it takes to make them. Machine-made rugs are usually less expensive but often just as elaborate in design.

- Ceramic tile: Ceramics are a popular choice for kitchens, bathrooms and entranceways of a home because of their beauty, elegance and style. Ceramic tiles are also a very practical flooring option for high traffic areas, where tracked-in dirt, accidental spills and excess moisture would make carpet maintenance difficult. With the multitude of patterns, colours and price options available, there is no end to the design possibilities for your home.

- Vinyl: This is a very versatile flooring option. It is very easy to keep clean, so it's a top choice for kitchens, bathrooms, recreation rooms and other high-traffic rooms. Vinyl is considered a soft floor and comes in a broad range of colours, styles and patterns, similar to ceramic. Most often, vinyl is sold and installed in large adhesive sheets as opposed to single peel-and-stick tiles. As well, some "high-end" vinyl floors are made to look almost exactly like ceramic tiles and even hardwood floors.

Take the time to learn as much as possible about the many options available to ensure you select the flooring that best suits your needs. Visit your local home improvement centre or flooring retailer for information and be sure to consult a realtor for advice about getting your home ready for sale.

Anna Vozza is president

of the Windsor-Essex County Real Estate Board. Phone 519-966-6432.

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